We
see this almost every year now, and every year it ends badly, but that
has yet to deter the former phenom. He’ll work out for major league
clubs at USC tomorrow. According to Tracy Ringolsby, most teams will
have a scout in attendance.

Prior, of course, was once talked about in close to the same way
we’re all now talking about Stephen Strasburg. He got the big bonus and
he made the big splash, going 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA in 2003. But then, be
it due to overwork, poor mechanics, bad juju or the whammy, developed
shoulder problems and made a mere 57 big
league starts after that.

It’d be a nice story if he could make a
comeback. Just don’t hold your breath.

Yesterday the Mets announced that lefty Jason Vargas sustained a non-displaced fracture of the hamate bone in his right hand as the result of a comebacker during a spring training start. This morning they announced that Vargas will have surgery, which should cause him to miss the first week or so of the season.

Vargas will have the surgery tomorrow. Given that it’s on his non-throwing hand, he won’t miss much time — just a week or so of action, with another few days to get back up to speed afterward. He actually threw a bullpen session this morning. The issue is that he can’t catch a ball right now.

Vargas, 35, signed a two-year, $16 million pact with the Mets last month. With him missing a couple of starts, the Mets should break camp with both Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler in the rotation. The two had been fighting for the final spot.